Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1887-10-14
FARCY AND CHAMBERS.
Malignant Animal Diseases Which 9
Readily Transmissible to Man,

Malignant Animal Diseases Which are
Readily Transmissible to Man.
Within n few years glanders and its
milder variation, farcy, have become
very prevalent in many parts of the
country. On some of the great West
ern ranches or stock farms it is becom-
ing especially prevalent. IN many of
our large cities and more thickly popu-
lated rural districts the disease exists
to an alarming extent. 1t undoubtedly
exists in every State and Territory in
the Union, and in nearly every county
or city of any considerable size and
population. Outbreaks have been re-
ported the past year in the States of
New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Ne
braska, California and others.
The disease is of a specific, malig-
nant, contagious type, developed in
the horse, ass and mule, and readily
communicated by contagion or inocu-
lation to man and to all the domestic
animals except cattle, swine and fowls.
A specific injecting virus has not been
isolated. although it is generally be-
lieved that there is such pathogenic
organism. There is abundant evidence
to show the contagious nature of the
disease; but its spontaneous origin,
while conceded by most writer's, has
not been satisfactorily demonstrated.
Chambers proper is commonly devel-
oped in two forms, the nasal and the
pulmonary The former is the more
common form, but the latter is often
more dangerous because of the deep
seated lessiors and the difficulty of di-
agnosis. In he nasal form diagnosis
is comparative' easy, the peculiar les
sions and ulcerations being very char
acteristic. Occasionally, however, the
nasal LESSONS are SO high up that they
can not be seen, or are not sufficiently
marked to be readily recognized, in
which case direct diagnosis may again
become very difficult.
Farcy, or as it might more properly
be called skin-glanders, is character
lied by the same glanderous deposits
and liberation of the lympahtics, most
ly of the skin.
Chronic glanders is the most COM
mon form of the disease resulting from
contagion, although acute cases are by
no means rare. Frequently the disease
may run its course for weeks, months,
or even years, all the time scattering
injecting material for other horses, be-
fore its true nature is suspected. The
form of the disease resulting from di-
rect incubation is usually acute and
rapidly fatal.
1t is in view of the fact that this dis
ease is readily transmissible to man, in
whom it appears in loathsome, ma
lignant form, so invariably fatal, that
it becomes of special Importance TO us,
and should receive all. possible atten-
ton to prevent its wider dissemination.
Every few months there occurs
case of glanders in man, due to hand
ling or treating glandered animals.
Since the contagious, fatal nature of
the disease is quite generally known,
it seems strange that people will con-
tinually run the risk of infection by
doctoring glandcrcd horses, merely to
prolong the life of worse than useless
animal in the vain hope of thereby saw
ing few dollars. / say worse than
useless, because horse already in
fccted with glanders is not only very
dangerous to the attendant, but also to
all horses with which he may come in
contact or which may be brought in
contact with the glanderous discharges.
Sooner or later the disease is almost
certain to prove fatal.
Veterinary practitioners treat or
handle all infected or suspicious cases
with the greatest possible care to avoid
contracting the disease. Even with
these precautions the veterinary sur
geon occasionally becomes inoculated.
How much more dangerous it must
then be for the non-professional man,
who does not and is not expected to
know the safeguards against inocula-
ton.
Considering the incurablc and highly
contagious nature of the disease, every
possible precaution should be taken to
prevent its spreading. Treatment of
even mild form or of the farcy type
should be prohibited by State or Ma
tional laws. All such animals should
be shot and deeply buried as soon as
the disease is recognized and the vol
untary exposure in a public place or
the offering for sale of an animal sus-
pected or known to be glandered
should be punishable by heavy fine or
mprisonment.-D II. u. Melbourne,
IN RHrG! NeW Yorker.